Fragments in Time
by Miaka
Summary: A series of companion pieces to my longer fic, "Frozen in Time". Includes prequels, sequels, one-shots etc.
1. Moments (part 1)

Anna had never seen her sister so nervous, not even just before Elsa's coronation. Of course, she was _partly_ to blame for Elsa's present anxiousness. She'd knocked and walked in on her sister getting ready to meet the ice harvester. Without thinking, as she sometimes did, Anna proposed that Elsa do something different with her hair.

"What's wrong with my hair?" Elsa had asked, horrified.

Thirty minutes later, they were still working on it. Anna bit her lip and smiled at the way Elsa's brow furrowed as she conjured up different styles while looking in her dresser mirror. But out of the plaited ponytail, waterfall braid, french braid, relaxed fishtail and the simple half-up half-down, nothing seemed to satisfy her. Finally, Elsa let out an uncharacteristically graceless sigh and whirled around in her seat, her eyes pleading.

"Wh-what?" Anna asked, taking a step back.

"Could _you_ do something with it?"

Anna hesitated, simply beaming. This was exactly the sort of moment she'd always dreamed about in the days of her and Elsa's separation. But those days seemed a lifetime ago. Indeed, they were lost. That was still a fact Anna struggled to adjust to even two weeks after she and Hans returned to the new present.

"Yowch!" Elsa yelped.

Anna looked down. She'd pulled one section of Elsa's beautiful white blonde hair just a bit too tightly through another looped section. The graceful updo she'd been working on was now uneven.

"S-sorry!" Anna hooked her fingers around the section of hair and gently loosened it, carefully working on all the other sections until the result was a pretty if tousled updo at the lower back of Elsa's head. "There!" She backed away and grabbed for the silver handheld mirror sitting on the dresser. Then, she held it up so that Elsa could view the back of her hair in the reflection of the dresser mirror.

Elsa paused before looking at Anna in the mirror. "You think?"

Anna's heart sank just a little. In the past two weeks, she'd spent more time with Elsa than she had in years. It made up for much of her childhood loneliness, but in many ways, she was still healing from the rejection she'd felt in that other life. She knew Elsa was just nervous. The queen was used to ruling, not courtship.

Besides, Elsa knew nothing about their old history.

"Absolutely!" Anna nodded. "It's... more relaxed. Kristoff is the type who..."

The redhead stopped herself just in time. She wasn't supposed to know Kristoff. Not only that, but the current Kristoff might not be exactly the same man who helped her search for her sister.

"The type who what?"

Anna glanced down. Elsa raised one eyebrow as she waited for her to finish what she'd been about to say. "I mean, I wouldn't know, but!-" Anna chuckled. "He seems like the type to not be comfortable in formal settings. I mean, that's just what I picked up from the coronation ball. Aside from when he danced with you, the guy looked miserable. Maybe he had some bad shrimp?"

Elsa folded her arms, narrowing her eyes in a look that made sweat drip down the back of Anna's neck as the queen scrutinized her with a wintry gaze. Then, like a winter storm that abruptly stops, the queen smiled.

"I noticed that too. I didn't want to read into it too much..."

Anna felt all the tension leave her shoulders. She walked to the nearby bed and plopped down on the plush bedspread, thinking.

"You seem to like him!"

Elsa clutched the back of her chair as she turned in her seat to face Anna. Her cheeks glowed.

"I-I barely know him, Anna! Honestly..."

The old Elsa would have turned away a suitor, Anna thought. But she was excited for her sister.

"You had a nice time at the ball, so you want to get to know him better. There's nothing to be embarrassed about!"

"Who says I'm embarrassed?" Elsa stuck her tongue out and turned back around toward the dresser. But Anna could see in the mirror that the queen's blush was brighter now. "A-anyway, Pabbie arranged everything."

Ah, those match-making trolls had done it again. "Was it his idea to meet outside of the palace?" Anna had to ask.

"Actually, Kristoff suggested that in his letter. He sort of insisted that we come alone to a certain part of the forest."

 _Kind of pushy of him_ , Anna thought. But she shrugged. "That's a little unconventional... but as long as you're comfortable with it!"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm the one who requested the meeting."

Anna's jaw dropped.

" _You_ requested it?!"

Elsa cleared her throat and started to fiddle around with the porcelain jewelry box to her right on the dresser. "It's like you said... I had a nice time at the coronation ball. Every other young man I danced with was..."

Anna could not stop grinning as she watched her sister try to explain the contrast between Kristoff and the other suitors.

"A-anyway, I just felt relaxed around him. It was surprising. It won't be long before people start pushing me to get married, so-"

"You're already thinking about that?!"

At this rate of shocking surprises, Anna was going to need a nap to calm her poor nerves.

"No! Don't be silly! Well, I mean, I can't _not_ think about it. It's going to come up sooner or later."

Anna giggled deliriously and yanked one of her sister's pillows over to hug as she stared starry-eyed at the queen. Elsa's reflection stared back at her, glowering.

"Sorry! It's just... I think that's great. It's responsible. Good for you. I just hope you have fun with Kristoff today and end up with a deserving suitor. Whether that's him or not. You know?"

The queen's gaze softened as she nodded and turned back around to face Anna.

"Thank you, Anna... I hope so too. It'd be wonderful to have someone... like how mother and father had each other."

The sisters avoided eye contact for a moment as the topic suddenly threatened to make them teary. Anna, the more expressive of the two, gave up and walked over to wrap her arms around her sister. She sniffled, her eyes misty.

"Kristoff is very lucky!" she said, holding Elsa's face as she kissed her platinum hair.

Elsa chuckled and nodded. "Yeah... I suppose he is!" She looked startled as a single tear rolled down her pale cheek. The queen quickly wiped it away and hugged her little sister back.

For that moment alone, Anna wouldn't take back any of the changes she and Hans had made to the past.

* * *

 **A/N:** To be continued! :D **  
**


	2. Moments (part 2)

Elsa's stomach fluttered like flurries caught in a tempest as she alighted from the tree tops. She checked the haphazardly sketched map in her hands that had come along with Kristoff's recent letter. Her brow furrowed as she compared it to her surroundings. A small wooden bridge crossed a calm creek that ran through the nearby grove of spruce trees.

She chuckled at the pointy renditions of the trees on the map. While the ice harvester had been a fair dancer, drawing was clearly not a skill of his. Her amusement quickly gave way to her jittery nerves, however.

Why was she nervous anyway? What did the queen have to be nervous about?

Yet pursuing this meeting had put herself on the edge of a proverbial precipice. She was the sort of person who trusted her first impression of people. Even if it was a different sort of interaction, the way someone danced was telling.

Kristoff had led her through several seamless dances. It had been so different from what she was used to. Men were usually intimidated by her status or powers; Elsa was never entirely sure which. Whether it came to dancing or conversation, her interactions with the opposite sex were typically rigid on their end and forced on hers.

The ice harvester was another story. Something about him had put her at ease from the moment he invited her to dance.

"You came." The voice spoke from across the bridge. Elsa looked over to find the ice harvester standing there. Not knowing why, it surprised her to see him out of the traditional garb he'd worn to her coronation. Today he wore a dark vest over a fjord-blue shirt with an embroidered sash over grey pants.

If only she could relax now.

"Of course. This was my idea, after all," she smiled as she stepped onto the wooden crossing.

He met her half-way, chuckling. "Hmm, this was _partly_ your idea. Two-thirds of the credit go to Grand Pabbie and myself, to be fair."

Elsa's smile widened. She was relieved to see he had a sense of humor.

Kristoff turned so that his shoulder faced her as he rested his arms along the bridge rail. He looked out over the creek below as he tapped his fingers along his broad biceps. Elsa mimicked the position if only to keep herself from fidgeting.

"But now that we're here..." His face turned toward hers. She was a little taken aback by the warmth in his brown eyes fixed upon her. "You didn't exactly go into great detail in your letter about why you wanted to have this meeting."

Elsa's mouth opened, shut and then opened again. Kristoff laughed again. Somehow, Elsa knew the sound to be rare. She treasured it instantly.

"Forgive me, that was bold. Can w...shall we walk, Your Majesty?"

The queen found the knot in her stomach loosening as she watched the uncertainty flitter across Kristoff's face. He was trying to appear confident, but he seemed just as self-conscious as she felt. With a smile, she nodded and gestured for him to lead the way. He crossed to his side of the bridge, waiting for her to follow. Together they entered the grove, each silently admiring the trees rather than initiating conversation until Kristoff slowed his steps and cleared his throat.

"Is it true your magic can bring things to life?" he asked.

"Ah... not just anything. I can give life to my own snow creations, I mean. Olaf, for example." They wove idly through the trees. Elsa took special care not to step on any of the wild flowers that grew between them.

"Olaf?"

"Oh! My sister's and my friend. He's a funny little snowman. He's been with us for ages." She grinned, wondering if Olaf's ears were ringing. Then she remembered that she hadn't given him ears. She snorted as she tried to imagine him with them, not that he needed them. Her magic seemed to have ensured that he could hear well enough without.

"What's so funny?" Kristoff's lips quirked at her private amusement.

"Ahem... nothing! He's just silly... would you like to meet him sometime?"

She realized by the widening of his eyes that she'd just unintentionally indicated they'd be spending more time together. After recovering from the surprise of her offer, Kristoff nodded.

"That'd be great. I'll introduce you to Sven, then."

"Who?"

"Sven! He's... well, you'll see when you meet him." Now it was Kristoff's turn to chuckle to himself.

"So... is it true you can talk to animals?"

Kristoff's dark eyebrows jumped up a notch. "Where'd you hear that?"

Elsa scoffed to mask her fear that she'd offended him. "Everyone's heard of the troll's woodsman."

"But I'm not a woodsman. I'm an ice harvester," he reminded her.

The queen allowed herself to shrug. "You can't be both?" They grinned at one another as they came to an end of the grove, clearing a short meadow before they entered the forest. The trees were thicker there. Elsa took a moment to appreciate the birdsongs. There was little of that back in the castle. "You still haven't answered my question."

Her insides melted as Kristoff's face spread into a radiant smile, one Elsa herself put there. This was only their second meeting. How could he possibly have this effect on her?

He stepped off course and leaned back against the nearest oak tree, reaching into his shirt. Elsa stopped in place and watched him draw out a green crystal pendant, which he dangled out for her to see.

"I can't exactly talk to them... not without this, anyway."

Elsa raised her eyebrow as she drew closer, staring at the crystal. "A magic crystal?"

Kristoff nodded. "The trolls mine them."

Elsa's mouth fell open. "I thought only trolls could wield that particular power?"

"I'm an exception," he explained. Then, he put his index and middle fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle while looking up at the overhanging branches. "Hey there, fellas!"

The queen looked up with him and giggled as she spotted two squirrels playing tug-of-war over an acorn. The creatures froze when Kristoff addressed them. They looked down at the humans and immediately started chattering away at the ice harvester.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! First of all, we just got here. We didn't see which of you had the acorn first. Secondly, you're in an oak tree. Aren't there plenty of acorns around?"

This seemed to infuriate the two squirrels, who dropped the acorn on Kristoff's head and then began angrily shaking their furry paws at him while chittering and chattering away. Elsa covered her mouth to hide her laughter.

"Glad I could help resolve your differences!" Kristoff snapped up at the squirrels, rubbing where the acorn had fallen—flat on his nose.

"Are you all right?" Elsa asked, biting her lip to keep from giggling. Kristoff looked back at her with bright eyes as he nodded. "What did they say just now?"

Kristoff shook his head. "It was too rude for your ears, Your Majesty."

She let herself giggle that time.

* * *

"Are you ready?" the queen asked as mischief glinted in her clear blue eyes.

Kristoff gulped at the ground beyond covered in smooth ice. He'd asked about the ice skating rink Her Majesty was renown for conjuring up outside of Arendelle castle. He hadn't expected her to make one in the middle of the forest. Granted, she'd searched out a clearing first, so at least now he wouldn't have to worry about humiliating himself by skating into any trees. Not that he couldn't skate! On the contrary, he was a skilled skater. It was just that it was hard to keep cool for so long; it took effort not to make an ass of himself. He hoped he was doing a good job.

"I'm not really dressed for ice skating," he realized aloud.

"Leave that to me!"

Before he could ask, Elsa waved one hand as if throwing something down to Kristoff's boots. He yelped as a cool sensation swept over his feet. He looked down to see silvery snowflakes swirling around the soles of his boots before something raised him off the ground. His eyes darted down to find gleaming skate blades now attached to his boots. They appeared to be made of ice.

"Whoa..."

Having grown up among the trolls, he was no stranger to magic. But this was beautiful.

"Come on!"

A cool and delicate hand took him by the wrist and pulled him with surprising strength onto the make-shift ice rink. Kristoff cried out, slipping and sliding as Elsa giggled and glided toward the center of the rink, taking him with her.

So much for not making an ass of himself.

"My sister and I used to do this in our great hall when we were children!"

"You're close then, that's nice," he commented as he focused on his balance.

Elsa nodded, beaming. "Anna's my best friend."

"I envy you! I didn't have any siblings, growing up," he said, keeping a smile on his face so that she would know it was too serious of a topic. "The trolls are great, don't get me wrong. But it took me a while to discern how to act around trolls versus other humans."

"It would have been nice for you to have other people around?"

They looped and swerved around each other from one end of the rink to the other as they conversed. Much as Kristoff appreciated how comfortable she was with him, he was glad the queen had not kept leading him. He wasn't sure if his nerves could handle it.

He shook his head. "Oh, no. Humans are awful."

Elsa slowed when she heard this from him.

"I mean, not _you_ , obviously. Just in general. Humans. Awful. Blah."

He felt he'd said the wrong thing as he watched her arch one eyebrow.

"What makes you say that?" she asked, her tone calm as she twirled and skated around him.

"They're greedy. Selfish. Inconsiderate—"

"Maybe some of them, some of the time," Elsa interrupted. "But people can be generous, compassionate and thoughtful too. Every person has both good and poor qualities."

"Oh, sure. I've just noticed that humans generally have more poor qualities."

The queen gave him a steely stare before she glanced away. He knew then that this was one subject they would agree to disagree on.

"The way you say 'humans'… it's as if you're not including yourself among them," she said, her voice quiet as she skated past him.

The ice harvester shrugged as he moved in the opposite direction. He hadn't meant for it to sound like that. Truthfully, he didn't fit in with the trolls any more than he did with the Sami or people of Arendelle. He was probably most comfortable around other ice harvesters, but that was because the time he spent around them was time spent working, not really talking.

"I'm sure I'm awful too," he called out, relieved to hear the queen laugh at that.

She shook her head as she approached him, a picture of grace. "I don't think so."

"Oh?"

His face had grown hot. He only hoped she couldn't tell.

* * *

After ice skating, they took a stroll through the forest. The air between them had been tense earlier, so it seemed wise to the queen to take a step back from topics that were too personal. Instead, they talked about their occupations. This seemed to help clear the tension. She was actually surprised by how much she had to say about being a monarch, and she enjoyed listening to Kristoff's passion for ice.

"...ice is my life!"

Elsa giggled at the way his dark eyes widened in embarrassment after his exclamation. Kristoff scratched the back of his head and chuckled along with her.

"This was... really nice," she said as the wooden bridge came into view as they returned to their meeting point.

Kristoff nodded. "I was surprised when Pabbie told me the queen had sent him a letter to ask about me."

The queen turned her head to hide her embarrassment. "W-well, I just... you're practically a prince in your own right. You know the trolls so well. I thought it would be a good idea to get to know you." She bit her lip, glancing back toward him... and immediately realized she'd said the wrong thing.

"I see..."

"Not just that! I... I also enjoyed your company at the coronation," she said quickly.

The fallen look on his face waned some as he made a half-hearted effort to smile. It was too late. She'd mentioned his relationship with the trolls. He would now believe that was the real reason she wanted to meet with him.

"The feeling is mutual, Your Majesty. And you're right! This was really nice. But I have to be heading home. It's my turn to help prepare dinner."

Elsa wondered if that were true. But she nodded her understanding and looked down at her feet as she tried to think of what words to part with. Then she thought of something.

"I'd like to give you something," she said, barely containing her glee when she saw him smile in confusion. With a wave of her hand, she quickly conjured up a shining sphere of ice that floated just over her palm. She stared at it and concentrated on its shape, watching its edges twitch and bulge until it started to transform. Four points stretched downward until they formed limbs with hooves. A tufty, frozen tail grew at the back of the sphere, which had stretched and taken on a furry texture. The last part of the sculpture was the reindeer's head, complete with antlers. When the miniature ice creature was complete, Elsa held it out for him.

A few reactions competed for the spotlight on the ice harvester's face. There was the awe as he watched the queen work her magic. But there was also shock and... amusement, for some reason. He let out a light-hearted laugh as he accepted her gift, turning it to and fro in his hand, his mouth open in wonder.

"This is amazing! But I... I don't have anything for you... oh!"

Elsa watched him dig into his pants pocket for something. He then slowly held out his closed fist. Curious, she opened her palm beneath his hand and watched as he stretched his fingers open. A single acorn fell into her palm.

"A memento from today!"

Elsa giggled, recalling the two squirrels who had argued over the acorn. Kristoff must have pocketed it after they dropped it on his face.

"Thank you!" She laughed, pocketing the acorn to keep from losing it.

"I swear, I'll have a better gift next time..."

"Next time?"

His face grew flushed. "That is... if you'd want to meet again."

She merely smiled, hesitating just to watch him fidget self-consciously. "It would be an honor! But... Kristoff?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Let's meet in Arendelle next time."

* * *

 **A/N:** Lol, soooo... my daughter is SOOOO CUUUUTE. She was born last month, and my husband and I are still getting used to being new parents. I love her little wriggly self with every fiber of my being but holy crap, I have like NO time now. So, all my stories are unfortunately going to have delayed updates. To be honest, I almost want to take a break from writing entirely. I'm so distracted even writing this that I'm afraid the quality just will not be what it could be. But I think I need to write to keep my sanity (sleep deprivation does a number on ya). So I'll keep trying. Thank you for your patience!

As for this, I really wanted to explore Elsa being more of a people-person in this AU and have Kristoff still be a bit of a misanthrope. I figured it just would make sense. Remember, Anna and Hans changed the future/present in Frozen in Time. In this universe, Elsa grew up differently than movie-canon-Elsa. She'll have different inner conflicts, whereas Kristoff's are pretty much the same and then some.

Thanks for reading! I'll do some more Kristelsa later on. Next up will be other characters, possibly Hansanna. :D


	3. Happily Ever After

The cold, salty sea winds chapped Princess Anna's cheeks as she gazed at the imminent chain of islands up ahead. Somehow she managed to get lost in her thoughts even amidst the crew's cries about land. Some of the isles were outlined by rock cliffs while others were flat and green. She marveled at their beauty, even the main island with its cliffside roadways, the imposing castle seemingly carved into the north-facing edge and the villages stretching southward across the landscape.

Anna gasped at the greenish hue of the water on the beaches. It was so different from Odin's fjord and the ocean she'd just crossed. She had the sudden urge to run through those waters.

"Fifteen to twenty minutes till we dock, Your Highness," the captain's first mate announced behind her. Anna nodded her thanks and went back to ruminating over her first trip to the Southern Isles.

Three lousy months had passed since Elsa's coronation. She'd sent him a letter and never heard back. After everything they'd been through, she had expected more. Had she been wrong about him again? Even a gentle disappointment would have been kinder than weeks of not knowing.

Not knowing what, exactly? Where to begin…

The invitation to Prince Peter's wedding had come from Queen Marianne, not Hans himself. Anna was expected to attend as Hans's betrothed whereas Elsa was invited to represent Arendelle. Unfortunately, Anna's trip had been a lonely voyage. Elsa had taken ill with _another_ cold about a week before they were set to sail. It was bad enough that Anna wouldn't know anyone in an unfamiliar kingdom or that she'd miss out on her first trip with Elsa; sailing by herself left too much unwanted time to agonize over how she would face Hans when she saw him again.

Shouldn't a fiancé have written back to her? Unless he wasn't happy about their engagement.

Anna groaned. She would never know if the nausea that plagued her during the voyage was actual sea sickness or inflicted by her own nervousness.

She didn't even get time to give herself a proper pep talk as they docked. Hans was there to greet her in his familiar naval uniform—exactly what he'd worn the day they met. Both times.

Her prince gave a little wave when he spotted her on the prow. As she returned the gesture, she tried to smile. But it was funny. She thought so many times about this moment. Her skin tingled, her heart galloped up her throat and her head felt light, but it was more than the jitters. This was terror.

How were they supposed to pick up from where they left off?

"Your Highness," he greeted her when she descended from the gangway. His green eyes brimmed with excitement as he bowed.

She curtsied and found her reply lacked the warmth she'd wanted to greet him with. "Prince Hans." It felt like she was watching from outside of her own body as Hans lifted and kissed the back of her hand.

A shout from back on-board broke her odd trance. She twisted around to see the first mate carry down her trunk of clothing. Hans signaled to two men behind him to take Anna's things up to the castle.

The prince took her hand into his. The heat of his palm shocked her. She wanted very much to joke around with him or to swoon as easily as their first meeting, but she could only gaze up at the castle as he started to lead her off the dock.

What was her problem? Well, she knew it vaguely. She wanted to ask about her letter. Was it so hard to write back? Didn't he think she'd worry if he didn't?

Unfortunately, they were surrounded by servants. Now was not the time to ask.

She kept sensing his gaze on her profile as their little entourage approached a waiting carriage. She pretended not to notice up until he assisted her getting up into the carriage.

"What is it?"

Hans chuckled. "Nothing." Then, he got in after her.

Heavy silence fell upon them as the carriage door was shut and they were finally alone together. Anna managed a small smile as they took off. Then, she immediately peered out the window at the shops along the harbor front. It was obvious, she was sure. She felt even more self-conscious under his unbreaking gaze.

"Wh-what?" she said, glancing at him. She wriggled around in her seat to adjust her green dress skirt, which had far too many layers and ruffles.

The brightest smile passed over Hans as he carefully moved over to sit beside her. He smelled like the sea, like fire and yew all wrapped up in one. She shuddered and leaned away to make space for him. But then again, perhaps it was space meant more for herself.

"I'm just… getting reacquainted with your face," he said warmly. His hand sought out hers.

Was now the right moment to ask? It didn't feel like it. She looked down at their joined hands and watched her fingers close reflexively over his.

But she said nothing.

* * *

The formal dining table for the Southern Isles royals was appropriately long. Anna glanced left and right at the princes, some with their wives, sitting all around her. Each brother as different from Hans as the next. She'd expected to be seated next to him for dinner, but Queen Marianne had insisted that Anna take the seat next to her as the guest of honor. Hans ended up on the opposite end of the table from her because of the seating arrangements by age.

Meeting the queen beforehand had been a relief. Anna knew little about the queen from either Elsa or Hans. The truth mirror had revealed King Graham suffered from melancholia. Anna could only assume that hadn't changed since the king was not a party to the celebratory dinner.

"Really though! I'm nearly thirteen!"

Anna glanced down to her right at the preteen boy hovering over Prince Ruben's shoulder. The lad was a spitting image of his father, hazel eyes, freckles and wavy strawberry blonde hair.

"That's enough, Ruben. Go sit eat with your cousins."

Although the table fit an impressive number of people, it was not quite enough to allow room for the queen's grandchildren. They had all been ushered off to eat separately. Ruben's son evidently did not like being grouped off with the youngsters.

"But last time—"

"It's a different occasion, Ruben. Do as your father says," Ruben's wife snapped.

Anna averted her gaze when she realized she'd been staring. She lifted her soup spoon to taste the cream of mushroom as she glanced around more discretely. To her immediate left was the eldest son, balding Bjorne. His wife Sophia sat to the other side of him. Balding Bjorne—she tried not to keep thinking about him, but his hair really was a lost cause—was polite but quiet after asking Anna a few generic questions. There seemed to be some tension between him and his hearty wife, so Anna instead turned to the queen and second prince, Jacob, for conversation. Jacob and his wife, Wilhemina, sat just across from her. The couple could have been twins with their wiry builds, mouse brown hair and pinched noses with a modest show of freckles on their cheeks. Anna tried not to dwell on the thought. The seating arrangement went on just so with the odd-born princes on her side—Ruben and wife Bridget, Peter and his fiancée Teodora, Felix, Emil and Daniel. The even-born princes sat in a line across the way: Kenneth and his wife Alice, Robert, Eric, Samuel and Hans at the end. Christian could not make it to dinner but was expected to turn up for the next day's ceremony.

Anna mused over how most of the princes had dark hair and eyes. Anna recalled Hans saying these were the king's features. But Ruben, Robert and Hans had inherited varying degrees of the queen's red hair and bright eyes.

"Is it true your sister's a witch?"

Anna's spoon clattered upon the table as she arched her eyebrow at the question. She looked up to find a myriad of expressions across the table. Most of the princes looked mortified.

"My beloved, you might want to work on your phrasing…" Prince Kenneth said. So it was Lady Alice who had asked.

Anna created a dramatic pause by daintily patting her lips with her napkin. That ought to prolong their embarrassment.

"She's not a witch per se," she answered. "But she has power over ice and snow."

Alice scoffed. "Not very useful magic then."

"Darling…" Kenneth's face went red.

"She could cast a blizzard over a whole kingdom if she wanted to," Hans added from his end of the table. All heads turned toward him. "That could be useful."

 _Useful_?

"Ah… Anna, has Hans given you a tour of the chalk cliffs?"

Anna's eyes darted over to Peter's bride-to-be, Princess Teodora of Albane. She had long, flowing black hair and warm brown eyes that gazed back at Anna with sincerity. Anna had to smile. It was obvious that Peter's fiancée was trying to save her from having to converse any further with Kenneth's rude wife.

"No… he hasn't," she said.

"Well, Hans. After dinner, get to it," Peter teased.

"Thanks for ruining the surprise, Teo…"

"Oh!" Teodora laid one hand over her mouth and giggled together with Peter. Anna beamed at the two of them acting like children.

"Wasn't someone going to make a speech?" Robert asked with a delicate tap of a spoon against his drink glass.

"Yeah… you were supposed to!" Peter retorted. He and his fiancée broke out into hearty laughter.

Everyone around joined in the laughter as Robert feigned a look that suggested he'd forgotten all about it. But Peter's twin stood up and cleared his throat as he lifted his glass. He gazed upon the happy couple and began to speak in their honor.

As Anna listened, she couldn't help but glance down at the far end of the table. Hans met and held her gaze, smiling from ear to ear.

* * *

"This is beautiful," Anna remarked, staring wide-eyed at all the stars over the ocean. She and Hans walked along the beach. High cliffs bordered their path on the right while the infinite waters stretched out to their left.

"We'll have to come back when you can actually see the cliffs."

"I can see them!" Anna said, turning her head. "Kind of…"

Hans chuckled and circled around her, taking both her hands into his. She stopped in her tracks, speechless from his sudden gesture. Was he going to say something? Should she say something?

She looked down at their joined hands, growing self-conscious at the silent way he beamed at her.

"What is it?" he asked.

Maybe it wasn't just about the letter.

"It's just—I…" she trailed off, gently pulling her hands back. She turned toward the sea and, mindful of all the sand she'd be shaking off later, she sat down on the beach. He took a seat beside her.

"Anna…?"

"I've been feeling so odd…"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's like… in Old Arendelle, I didn't have any time to process things, but…"

It was a moment before she realized she hadn't completed her thought. Hans inched closer and slid his hand through the sand toward her. But he stopped himself.

"Talk to me."

"I realized I lack confidence. Because of what happened. I mean before we changed everything."

"I don't expect you to just forget all of that. But you have to know that wasn't me. That was the Ice Maiden's magic."

Anna frowned. "I know. That's not it. What I'm trying to say is… when you left me to die, it's like… part of me actually died even though the rest of me made it out alive." She looked away as she heard him sigh.

"You're saying I killed a part of you? That's not really fair."

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying that that part of me died. I think. It feels that way."

"That sounds drastic…"

The push and pull of the water washed over her, making her eyelids feel heavy. Tired was good, though. Tired was better than crying. She sniffed once and laid back, no longer caring about the sand.

Above, the stars twinkled and shimmered as far as her eyes could see. It seemed like such a waste to be having this conversation. She should kick herself.

"Maybe we could just… start over," he said hopefully.

"No one ever talks about what happens after 'happily ever after', do they?"

"We'll just have to take it one day at a time. May I?"

Before she could ask may he _what_ , his warm hand closed over hers and suddenly yanked her up to her feet. She squawked and wobbled off balance until he helped steady her. In a heartbeat, he had one arm about her waist and their joined hands held up as he side-stepped and swayed with her. He used the waves and the wind as music.

It was a slow dance, to say the least.

"This isn't easy for me either," he said. "To come back and find out we're engaged, it's…"

"Yes. That was a surprise," Anna agreed.

"And there are so many changes here. My family doesn't hate me, for one. It's been an adjustment."

"Is that why you didn't write?"

Hans looked into her eyes as his fingers tightened at her waist. "I meant to. I wanted to. Anna, you may not believe this, but my proposal that night at your sister's coronation—the first one, that is—anyway—that was genuine."

She bit her lip and gazed at the stars over his shoulder. "Oh?"

"Then… well, you know. And _then_ we ended up in the past and… well, you know."

Anna nodded, squinting up at him as they moved in a circle. "It's been a lot to take in?"

He chuckled. "That being said, I sincerely hope that the goofy woman who accepted my original proposal is still in there somewhere." His eyes dropped down a little to indicate her heart. "But the one who thought she could drag me back to Arendelle for arrest… and the one who sings to scare off wolves… of course, not forgetting the one who saved my life more than once… well, I'd be honored to marry all of them."

She faltered as tears tickled her cheeks.

"Not that I'm a polygamist. Oh god. It sounded a bit like—"

The graceless chortle that escaped her should have embarrassed her. But suddenly the veil of nervousness that had hung over her lifted. Anna leaped up on her toes to kiss him, laughing even as their lips met. The kiss deepened as Hans laid both hands upon her waist and squeezed her closer. If anyone were to see them, it would have been quite the scandal. After all, they weren't even married.

But propriety be damned.

* * *

 **A/N:** I had a really hard time writing this, and I mean more than just finding the time to do so. As much as I want to explore more of this particular AU, it might be a while before I come back to it. In this little story, I wanted to give a glimpse into… well basically what Anna said, what happened after their happily ever after. She can't just forget that he left her to die even if he wasn't himself at the time. It's been haunting her. It didn't help that Hans didn't write to her after he sailed home. They can't really pick up from coronation night, so they have to start over and actually get to know each other. Kind of like normal people in love.

But they can totally canoodle on the beach in the meantime.


End file.
